I would probably scribe a line somewhere just behind the front suspension and cut the frame. Then get some metal sheard to the 2 inches you want to move the frame, Use that to fill the gap. You hardly even need to measure. Maybe add some extra metal for strength as you see fit. I would lay the engine in to see where it looks right. Moving it front requires a driveshaft mod., throttle linkage and transmission mount also. Leave it where it is you need to build some mounts, but you have that 2 inch metal already cut. You can easily move the radiator back 2 inches. Sounds easy. It will all be done after the commercials are over.
I appreciate it, but I'll probably do a factory style prop valve when I swap the master out. For the time being I'll rock her as is seeing as the vast majority of the driving is back roads away from traffic. Just behind the front crossmember there's a weld where the frame tubes are joined. I plan on cutting that out and sliding the sections apart. Ill likely plate back over it depending on the gap, but it should be a clean stretch. Ill fab some extensions off the crossmember for the motor mounts so the engine and trans can remain in their current location. Bing bang boom can have it done in a long weekend if I'm feeling really frisky.
Found pics of a since-sold '59 LeSabre. They show a lot, including under hood and front ch***is shots. Looks like the motor sits behind the crossmember. The radiator setup is interesting... https://www.cl***iccarsofsarasota.com/vehicles/433/1959-buick-lesabre
The back fin runs right through the front door on the Buick. I wonder how the rest of the door shape matches the Chevy rear door. Looks like at a minimum you are going to have to rework the door tops.
59 chevs were X frame and the Buick appears to be a perimeter frame still using radius rod rear suspension.
Possibly. Or I could try and snag all the doors off the donor car. Either way, the front doors will likely be swapped around.
Correct. However the sections of frame on both cars for the front end is the same style, so it shouldn't be a problem. All thats being swapped is the front clip.
The point being that both motors sit up against the firewall, and those ch***is shots show the Buick motor in relation to the front crossmember.
The suspension of the Buick is so different that it required a different style of frame (perimeter). While Chevy uses an X frame.
Having done a few frame swaps, frame modifications, and a lot of related things like you are considering, I might suggest you plan on just adding the 2" you need to your Chevy frame, at the most convenient location possible. I would also suggest you keep your drive train in its current position in relation to the firewall. Lengthening the steering column by adding a universal joint is a great thought, when you move the steering box forward it changes the angles of the two sections of the column. If you need more extra shaft then the U joint will provide, adding a slip joint would be the next move. You may have to add a steering shaft stabilizer like a heim joint, depending on how many u joints are present. You are going to have 2 options concerning the radiator, move it forward, or make brackets to add to the radiator support and mount it in its current location. I would make the brackets, but be sure you seal the radiator to the radiator support, extra air gaps between the radiator and its support can sure introduce over heating problems. Extending the radiator mounting brackets eliminates the need to alter the fan or shroud spacing, the extension on both radiator hoses, and extending the trans cooler lines. Things like brake lines, or wiring to the front lighting may require careful relocation of the lines or wiring, or they may require some splicing, or new lines. Two inches isn't much, but it depends on how much extra materials exist on the specific vehicle. I suspect you are going to have more time in matching up the rear of the fenders to the front edge of the doors then you are going to have in extending the frame 2". I sure hope you have a plan for storing the two front sheet metal clips until everything is all matched up, they will take up a single garage stall by themselves.
You only need a proportioning valve if the rear brakes lock before the front brakes. That won't do anything for a hard pedal. The 'factory' style aftermarket units are pretty much useless.
So from the sound of it, the vast majority of my plan is pretty on track with what youre saying, which gives me some encouragement. When you say getting the fenders and doors lined out, do you mean just playing with panel gaps or actually modifying the body lines to work? As far as electrical goes, I'll try to make the factory harnesses work, but I'll probably have to get creative seeing as the Buick is set up in a mirror image to the Chevy with placement of everything like the battery and such. As far as storage, one clip will likely sit in my back yard for a hot minute while the other goes on. I plan to try and knock out as much as I can over the winter, so we'll see how things go.
As I see it, your plans are getting pretty close to how I would do things, I just thought maybe I would share my experiences to ***ist you with some things you were not sure of. You just need to understand that the way I do things is not the only way they can be done. The total time I suspect you will spend modifying the body lines, and then correcting the gaps will probably take longer then the frame modification and all the other stuff combined. As far as the wiring, a mirror image is the same thing ran backwards. The lights and other electrical parts or things are not going to care which direction the wires came from, only that it gets there. You may have to relocate things like a horn, so it ends up where the wire ends up. When its all done and painted up pretty, no one will care if that odd part is not in the correct location, they are going to be too busy trying to figure out how you got that Buick clip on your Chevy, or if you really did a great job, they may wonder how you got the Chevy rear sheet metal on the Buick, or even what makes this car look so different? As far as I'm concerned, the best custom is one that most people think was a special edition built at the car factory.
I fully welcome your opinion, as well as others on this project. It's going to be a much different undertaking from what I usually do, so insight from those who have done similar projects is much appreciated. And yes, the little details on the body work are definitely going to take forever, but at least by then hopefully the car will be driving again. Im with you, the little details that look factory but not quite are the best. I put 60 wheel arches and a 59 Buick bumper on my pickup, and watching people double take and try to catch whats different always tickles me.
The AI picture wrongly guesses that the side molding shape of the Buick (the piece that the headlight molding follows, not the bit at the top of the door) is incorporated in the doors, on a real picture of a Buick you can see the door shells don't have that extra catwalk bit on them. I think GM used the same door skins on all p***enger cars in '59, at least up front. As for shortening the hood and fenders, where would you take it? Imagine taking a 2" wide band out of the fenders between the doors and wheel opening. Easy for most of it but when you get to the edge where it meets the windshield, you're going to have a weird step. Taking length out of the hood at the rear edge effectively narrows the back of the hood, since the hood edges are not parallel, and taking some out of the center means the two pieces will not be the same width when you go to re-attach them. I can't imagine how difficult that would be.
There's no need for the Buick doors, that catwalk bit that the AI picture shows is a hallucination, that does not exist on the Buick. As for a possible 2 door conversion, the easiest way would be to find some 2 door sedan doors and door post sections from a donor and weld them in, I've done several cars that way, it doesn't affect the roof skin or windshield/rear window and is relatively straightforward. Certainly easier than shortening that front clip would be. But there'd be no need to do it at the same time as the Buick clip, it could be done totally independently since the door shapes don't change between the Buick and Chevy clip. That's if OP wants a 2 door version, the 4 door kinda adds to the absurd wildness of it, I wouldn't mind at all on this particular car. Buick did make '59 LeSabre 2 door sedans, it would look like this generally, but with the Chevy fins and tail lights.
Ive toyed with the 2 door idea, but honestly I feel like this will look wilder as a 4 door. Plus crew cabs need a little more love anyway. Funny enough, the car I used for the ai prompt is that 2 door.
I think I like Belavicta the best. Would look extra good in the factory emblem script... Thats how about 98% of my projects tend to go.
Upon some more in depth research, I think youre correct. Depending on frame widths, I wonder how hard it would be to slide one set of rails over another. Or if I'll just cut straight and do a little plating and welding.
I guess I've done so many frame swaps that things like frame modification for bumper mounting is standard fare. You have all the space between the radiator support and the back side of the front bumper to make what ever change is needed. If GM used the same door skin between the Chevy and the Buick, that should make life a lot easier. The door to fender shape should match up between both cars. That would make the differences between the two windshield cowls (if there really is any difference there) the difficult part of the transition, which should simply be the top flat surface of the back corners of the fenders and the hood to cowl line.
Its my first go for this, so still on the "learning the ropes" portion of the project. I know both cars share the same gl***, so I think the cowl should line up without too much fuss honestly. Im thinking the majority of the work will be modifying the front end, then just getting panels to gap out properly.
I had a 60 Chevy 4 door back in the sixties. I always thought it looked better in the two door versions. I was never a fan of the 59 models. Putting the Buick front on will look nice. Good luck with it.
Well, after cruising too and from KKOA this weekend, I'm definitely thinking an overdrive might not be the worst idea in the world for this car. I've got a 200-4r thats sitting and waiting to be rebuilt, so I may just throw some fresh guts in and toss it in the car. If I go this route, depending on the measurements, I may be able to leave the engine mounted in the factory holes after sliding the frame forward, and be able to utilize the factory trans crossmember as well... I think that finding or building a 2" longer throttle linkage probably wouldnt be as problematic as I initially though. Still shooting to get things going late fall/early winter. Trying to enjoy the car while it runs right now!
The Jalopy Journal
